Spinning disk game apparatus



Aug. 28, 1951 w, GUIMQND 2,565,557

SPINNING DISK GAME APPARATUS Filed July 29, 1946 INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 28, 1 9 51 UNITED STATES v. ?ATENT OFFICE 2,56 ,557 m V SPINNING DISK GAME'LVAPMFARATUS Charles W. Guimond, Grosse-Pcinte Woods, Mich. Appii'cat ionJuly 29, 1946, Serial No. 686,854

This invention relates to games and more particularly to a spinning game including'independently rotatable members carrying indicia means which, when the members are stopped, assume various combinations. p

An important object of this invention is to provide an irnprovedapparatus'o'f this character includingnovel meansror'imparting rotation to the independently rotatable members and for quickly stopping these members with the indicia on themembers inregistration. Another im- *por'tant object of thisinvention is to provide a game apparatus including a plurality of independently rotatable'memb'ers mountedin an improved "mannerfor "bothrotation'andj bodily shifta'ble movement and control me'ansior imparting rotation and bodily shiftable movement to the members. A further objector this invention is'to'providea series of independently rotatable discs carrying circumferentially spaced indicia means or symbolspn their exposed pe- "ripheral margins which are 'provide'dwitnnovel -means for starting and stopping the rotation. j thereof including two sets oi registrable aper- *tures, one for imparting rotation to the discs and theother for quickly stoppingthediscs with the indicia means thereon in'registration'.

-Abn important'feature "of the invention is the mounting of the members or discs'withi'n a substantially closed chamberfor rotation and bodily shiftable movement about an upright post'therewithin. -Novel means is employed for'yieldingly supporting thediscson the post and permitting resisted bodily movementoi the discs asa group axially of" the post. Another important .ie'ature of the invention is the provisionof a spinner control member having a novel one-way" drive initial operating position, and the "other of which acts on theopposite side of the discs to raise the discs into engagement with means for'bringing the rotating discs to rest l Another important object of theinvention is to provide a game apparatus of the character composed of parts which are inexpensive to manufacture and to assemble and in which the moving parts-are easily operated and controlled;

Various other objects, advantages and meritorious features of this invention will appear 10 Claims. (Ci.273'142 "ii more fully from the following specification, ap-

" pended claims and accompanying drawings wherein:

' Fig'J Z is a plan View of two of the discs of the i -5111s a top plan viewof a game apparat e'lfilio'dying the invention,

"disc? assembly,

I l jli ig. 3'is a vertical sectional view through the Ilffjga'ine apparatus along line 33 of Fig. 1,

' "showing in reduced scale the position of the discs Fig'f l is a similar sectional View as Fig. 3 but preparatory to rotating the same,

Fig. '5 is a'fragmentary sectional view of a modifiedway of assembling the discs for rotation and bodily movement together as a group,

Fig; 6 is a fragmentary enlarged viewof the tspinner head showing a modified one-way drive for rotating the discs, and

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated Fig.1? is a bottom view of the spinner head of Fi 6.

Therein, :the game apparatus or device comprises a'stationary base IE1 having an upright shaft or ifpos't' l2 secured thereto. 25.

" the center thereof in any suitable manner and Preferabl as shown the base 'is circular and the post 12 is fixed to extends upwardly vertically therefrom. Carried f'o'n the post is an assembly or series of rotatable "jrnernbers in the form of discs M which are of unequal diameters. These discs are arranged in fprqgressive order from the largest nearest the ".bas'e to the smallest at the top of the assembly. j'lhe discs' are axially bored so as to rotatably jandslidably fit the post without lateral play.

"Mounted in thisinanner, the upper exposed peripheral margins'of the discs are exposed to view j from thietop. Carried on these exposed marginal portions are indicia means in the form of symbols or characters for whatever game the device is intended .HQEOI playing card games, the peripheral portions i the discs may carr the playing card characters c cumferenti'ally spaced therearound as shown by registered set of such characters I 6 in Fig. 1 In ig. the two smallest discs of the assembly are with the peripheral portions thereof carryingjsniall circumferentially spaced rectangular paper sections I8 upon which the playing card characters orother game symbols may be printed.

secured to the marginal portions of the discs as Thesepa'per sections may be separately adhesively shown or be mounted on annular strips and applied "totheir respective discs as a unit. For a playing hand of five cards; such as poker, where the deck consists of fifty-two playing cards, it is preferred to use five discs, three of the smaller discs exhibiting ten diiferent playing card characters and the two remaining larger discs exhibiting eleven different playing card characters thereby making up the fifty-two cards in a deck.

The discs are freely individually rotatable about the post 92 and relative rotation of the discs with respect to one another will form many combinations of characters radially of the post. To conceal all but one radially aligned combination of characters and to provide a compact housing for the moving parts of apparatus, the device is provided with a top which is generally in the form of an inverted cup-shaped member which forms a chamber 22 in which the discs are mounted. The lower edges of the top shaped member are secured in any suitable way to the base such as by a series of circularly spaced countersunk screws. The to and base members may be of any suitable material but preferably the top is formed of relatively opaque plastic material which may be colored in a highly attractive manner. At one point in the top member overlying the peripheral portions of the disc, a radially extending opening or slot 2e is provided which is of such width as to expose only one set of aligned characters It as shown in Fig. l. The central portion of the top member is thickened to provide an upwardly extending boss 26 around the upper end of the post l2. In axial alignment with the post, a circular hole 28 is formed in the boss and the post may be of such length as to extend through this opening beyond the upper limits of the top member as shown in Fig. 3.

A novel spinner control member for imparting rotation to the discs is slidably telescopingly received over the upper end of the post l2. It comprises an elongated hollowed cylindrical portion 3!] widening at the lower end to form a circular driving head 32. The latter is wider than the hole 28 to prevent withdrawal of the control member from the top of the device. It is assembled on the post 62 before the top member is secured to the base. The driving head portion 32 of the spinner is disposed in a circular recess 34 of the boss 25. The spinner is axially bored to provide a passage therein having two sections of different diameters. The wider section 3% of the passage opens out through the bottom of the head. In the normal inoperative position of the spinner as shown in Fig. 3, the narrower section 38 of the passage extends upwardly a considerable distance beyond the inserted end of the post [2 in order that the spinner may be depressed upon the post to the operating position illustrated in Fig. 4. The upper outside surface of the spinner is preferably ribbed or knurled to facilitate rotation between the thumb and forefinger of a hand.

Projecting from the bottom of the head portion 32 of the spinner between the passage section 36 and the outside periphery is a depending driving element or pin 4%. At the same radial distance from the axis of the post as the pin 40 is therefrom each disc 34 is provided with a series of arcuate openings or slots 42 circularly spaced therearound as shown in Fig. 2. The slots are wider than the diameter of the pin to permit the pin to be easily entered into the slots when the spinner member is depressed. When thus inserted the pin couples the discs to the spinner for joint rotation.

The assembly of discs 14 is mounted on the post in a novel manner for bodily movement axially of the post as well as rotatable thereabout. Yieldingly bearing against the underside of the disc assembly is an elastic device in the form of a spring 14 which resistingly permits the discs as a group to be bodily shifted down the post. The spring however is of such a strength as to normally raise the discs to the upper part of the chamber 22. In order to permit this bodily movement, the overall thickness of the disc assembly in a vertical direction is substantially less than the vertical height of the chamber as is evident in Figs. 3 and 4. The spring 4 3 encircles the post i2 as shown and is preferably conical in formation to permit collapse of the individual coils upon themselves. Disposed between the upper end of the spring 44 and the disc assembly is a thin washer it which distributes the pressure of the spring equally on the bottom discs and provides a bearing surface for the latter to rotate freely.

Yieldingly bearing against the upper side of the disc assembly and interposed between the same and the spinner control member 3% is a second elastic device in the form of a coiled spring 48. The latter encircles the post and is seated at its lower end on a washer element which bears against the topmost disc and is similarly seated at its upper end on a washer which is tensioned by the spring against the shoulder formed by the juncture of the two sections 36 and 38 of the spinner passage. Spring 38 is of less strength than spring 44 but has sufficient force to raise the spinner member relative to the disc assembly and withdraw the pin 40 from the slots 42.

Novel means is provided for quickly stopping the rotation of the discs after they have been raised to their upper position in the chamber 22. This means includes a pointed element or pin 59 which is fixed to a stationary part of the apparatus and preferably as shown to the bottom side of the boss portion 26 in radial alignment with the viewing slot 24. This pin is located at a radial distance from the post I2 greater than the driving pin All and is mounted so that it projects downwardly into the chamber 22. At the same distance from the axis of the post l2 as the stop pin 56, each disc M is provided with a series of circularly spaced openings or apertures 52 which correspond in number to the number of indicia or characters carried by the disc in radial alignment therewith. These apertures are preferably circular as shown in Fig. 2 and of a size to closely receive the stop pin 50. The projecting pointed end of the latter extends into the chamber a distance equal to the thickness of the disc assembly. It is evident that when the discs are raised into position to receive the stop pin and the latter projects through one aperture of each series of apertures 52 in all the discs, a combination of characters in radial alignment will be seen through the opening 24.

To operate the apparatus, the control member 3! which functions both as a plunger and spinner, is pressed downwardly into the chamber 22, overcoming both the weaker spring 48 and the stronger spring 44. Since the weaker spring will be compressed first, the driving pin in the initial depressing movements will advance upon and enter the arcuate openings 62 in the discs. ally these openings have already been brought into overlapping registration by the stop pin and the driving pin will penetrate these openings Without difiiculty. In the event the arcuate openings 42 are not all in registration for receiving the driving pin, a slight oscillating movement of the spinner as it is depressed will assure penetration of the driving pin into all the openings. As the control member is further depressed, the

stronger spring is overcome, allowing the group of discs to be shifted bodily down the post and outof engagement with the stop pin. The control member and the discs may be depressed to the extent shown in Fig. 4. When free of the stop pin, the discs may be rapidly rotated by giving the spinner a quick turn. Immediately thereafter the spinner is quickly released and the upper spring 48 throws the spinner upwardly relative to the disc's, releasing the driving pin from its engagement with the discs and allowing the discs to rotate freely and independently about the post l2.

Due to the centrifugal force set up by the rotation of the discs and the slower action of the lower spring '44 due to the weight of the discs, the discs do not rise directly with the spinner but rotate freely for a short interval of time while they are being bodily elevated by the spring. As the rotating discs approach the top of the chamber the apertures 52 are caused to pass beneath the pin 50 and each disc is successively stopped as it presents an aperture to the pin and the disc moves upwardly thereover. The several discs of the assembly will therefore be stopped at such a position that a combination of symbols, such as playing card characters, will be visible through the opening 24.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate modifications of the embodiment of the invention previously described. The discs 14 are shown as independently rotatably mounted on a sleeve 54 which in turn is slidably mounted on the post 12. The upper and lower edges of the sleeve are peened or flanged outwardly to hold the discs together as a group. The flanged edges however do not exert any compression on the discs and the latter are free to rotate independently of one another. The springs 44 and 48 are seated on washers 56 which bear on the flanged portions of the sleeve as shown rather than directly on the top and bottom discs of the previous embodiment of the invention. The sleeve rather than the discs takes the load of the springs. Preferably the discs are interleaved with thin Washers 58 to improve their freedom of rotation relative to one another.

In Figs. 6 and 'Z 'a novel one-way drive is provided for imparting rotation to the discs. A pin 46 which corresponds to the driving pin 45 of the previous embodiment of the invention is pivotally mounted in the driving head 32 of the spinner. The latter is provided with a general triangularly shaped recess 3% opening out through the bottom and having a vertical side and an inclined'side- 64. The upper end of the pin 49 is pivoted about a horizontal axis formed by a small cross pin '56. Normally the pin 40' will project downwardly as shown in Fig. 6 for entering the 'arcuate slots 42 previously described. Th'e'side 62 of the recess'serves as a stop limiting the swing of the driving pin in that direction. The spatial relation of the inclined side 64 of the recess to the driving pin permits the latter to swing in that direction until the lower extremity is brought substantially within the driving head of the spinner.

An importantresult is derived from the modification of Figs. 5 and 6. Instead of having to quickly release the spinner immediately after the discs are rotated as in the previous embodiment'of the invention,'the swingable or collapsible character of the drive pin 40 enables the operator to hold the disc series down in the chamber while they rotate for an interval of time before releasing the spinner and allowing the discs to be raised by the spring "44. operating the modification of Figs. 5 and 6, the operates presses the-spinner and thereby engages the drive pin 45 with thediscs in the manner-previously described. In this position if the spinner is rotated in one direction the pin 40 merely "col lapses in the recess 53 without impartin rotanot to the discs. However, rotation o'f the spinher in the other direction will bring the up against the vertical wall 620i the recess where it is held v'ertical projecting position and caused to drive the discs. As soonasithe 'opeifa'ftor slows or s'tops rotation of the spinner, the rotating discs will raise the pin 40 into the re cess ti: and freely'overrun the spinner. The op": erator may therefore hold the spinner down for an interval of time after he has imparted arapid rotation-tothe discs and then release hishold the spinner to allow it to rise to its initial inop erative position. The discs in the meantime continue to freely overrun the spinner merin ue swingable driving pin in the recessuntil the discs are raised and brought to rest by th-estop pm-55o; The apparatus is adaptable'to various thus 25 of games In place of the playing card sha etie'rs as shown in Fig. 1, the discs rnay carry'indieating symbols or characters for playing chil drens i all Qther indicia means can also be carried on isc's lan'd in fact several sets of discs may with one apparatus and interchanged at to enable a single apparatus to be usedfor IiflC-ilfiilt games.

What I claim is: V

1-. A gameapparatus comprising, in combination, a stationary support, anuprigl1t"post"carried by said support, a series or discs of progressively larger diameter from one endto the other end of theseries'rnounted on saidjpost for inde n pendentrotationthereabout and for bodily'axial movement up and down the post, differentfin dicia means carried by said discs in circularly spaced relation onthe exposed peripheral'margins thereof, said discs'provided with two "sets of registrab'le apertures spaced unequal distances from the axesthereof, a control member meunted on said-post on one side of said series of discs and capable of rotation and vertical movement relative to the post, a compressible coiled spring encircling said post between the control member and the adjacent side of said series of discs, a second compressible coiled spring of greater strength than said first spring encircling the post on the-side of the series opposite to said control member and exerting a yielding pressure upon the discs tending to move the same as agroup to ward the control member, a stop pin carried by support'adapted upon bodily axial movenient of the discs in the direction urged b'y said second spring to enter one of said sets of apertures and stop the'rotation of the discs, said con trol member adapted upon vertical movement toward said discs-to bodily axially shift the discs as a group against the resistance of saidsecond spring and disengage the stop pin therefrom, a pin carried by said control member adapted'upo'n such vertical movement to enter the other of said of apertures and upon rotation of the control member to impart rotation to the discs.

2. A game apparatus comprising, in combination, a stationary'support, an upright post carried by the support, a series of discs of pro gressively larger diameter from one end to the other end of the series mounted on said post for independent rotation thereabout and for axial table games, such as baseball and foot i bodily movement up and down the post, different indicia means carried by each of said discs in circularly spaced relation on the exposed peripheral margins thereof, said discs each provided with two sets of circularly spaced-apart apertures arranged unequal radial distances from the axis thereof, each corresponding set of apertures of the discs being registrable with one another, a stop pin carried by said support adapted upon bodily axial movement of the discs in one direction to enter one of said sets of apertures and stop the rotation of the discs, spring means yieldingly urging said discs to move in the axial direction to be engaged by said stop pin, a control member mounted on said post and capable of rotation and axial movement relative to the post, said control member upon axial movement in the direction counter to the yielding force of said spring means adapted to engage the discs and move the discs out of engagement with said stop pin against the resistance of the spring means, and a pin carried by the control member adapted upon axial movement thereof in the direction to engage the discs to enter the other of said sets of apertures and upon rotation of the control member to impart rotation to the discs.

3. In a game apparatus, an upright post, a plurality of discs independently rotatably supported on said post and capable of bodily axial movement therealong, said discs having apertures therethrough registrable with one another, different indicia means carried by said discs, spring means exerting a yielding pressure upon the discs normally raising the discs as a group to an elevated position on the post, stop means engageable with the discs when the same are raised by said spring means to stop the rotation of the discs, a spinner member rotatably and axially movably mounted upon said post above said discs and adapted upon downward movement on the post to depress the discs as a group out of engagement with said stop means, a driving pin depending from said spinner member adapted to enter the apertures of said discs and upon rotary movement of the member in one direction to impart rotation to the discs, and means pivotally mounting said pin to the member for swinging movement in the direction in which it imparts rotation to the discs whereby the pin is caused to be swung out of the apertures of the discs when the latter overrun the pin.

4. A game apparatus comprising, in combination, a stationary support, an upright post carried by said support, a cover member mounted on said support and provided with an aperture in the top thereof in alignment with said post and further provided with a radial slot exposing the interior of the apparatus to view, a series of discs of progrwsively increasing diameters from the upper end to the lower end of the series mounted on said post for independent rotation thereabout and for bodily axial movement up and down the post, different indicia means carried by said discs in circularly spaced relationship on the exposed peripheral margins thereof and adapted to be exposed to view through said radial slot of the cover member, said discs provided with two sets of registrable apertures spaced unequal distances from the axis of rotation thereof, a coiled spring encircling the post below said discs exerting yielding pressure upon the discs normally raising the discs as a group to an elevated position on the post, a pin depending from the cover member and adapted to enter one of said sets of apertures when the discs are so raised by the spring means ill ber and adapted upon depression thereof to en ter the other of said sets of apertures and upon rotary movement of the spinner member in one direction to impart rotation to the discs, and means pivotally connecting said driving pin to the spinner member for swinging movement in the direction it rotates the discs from a substantially vertical position to a substantially horizontal position whereby when the discs overrun the pin the latter is caused to be swung out Of the set of apertures into which it is extended.

5. A game apparatus comprising, in combination, a stationary support, an upright post carried by said support, a series of discs of progressively larger diameter from one end to the other end of the series mounted on said post for indeendent rotation thereabout and for bodily axial movement up and down the post, different indicia means carried by said discs in circularly spaced relation on the exposed peripheral margins thereof, said discs provided with two sets of registrable apertures spaced unequal distances from the axes thereof, a control member mounted on said post on one side of said series of discs and capable of rotation and vertical movement relative to the post, a compressible coiled spring encircling the post on the side of the series of discs opposite to said control member and exerting a yielding pressure upon the discs tending to move the same as a group toward the control member, a stop pin carried by said support adapted upon bodily axial movement of the discs in the direction urged by the spring to enter one of said sets of apertures and stop the rotation of the discs, said control member adapted upon vertical movement toward the discs to bodily axially shift the discs as a group against the resistance of the springand disengage the stop pin therefrom, and a pin carried by said control member adapted upon such vertical movement to enter the other of said sets of apertures and upon rotation of the control member to impart rotation to the discs.

6. A game apparatus comprising, in combination, a stationary support, an upright post carried by said support, a series of discs of progressively larger diameter from one end to the other end of the series mounted on said post for independent rotation thereabout and for bodily axial movement up and down the post, difierent indicia means carried by said discs in circularly spaced relation on the exposed peripheral margins thereof, said discs provided with two sets of registrable apertures spaced unequal distances from the axes thereof, a control member mounted on said post on one side of said series of discs and capable of rotation and vertical movement relative to the post, a compressible coiled spring encircling the post on the side of the series of discs opposite to said control member and exerting a yielding pressure upon the discs tending to move the same as a group toward the control'member, a stop pin carried by said support adapted upon bodil axial movement of the discs in the direction urged by the spring to enter one of said sets of apertures and stop the rotation of the discs, said control member adapted upon vertical movement toward the discs to bodily axially shift the discs as a group against the resistance of the spring and disengage the stop pin therefrom, a driving pin carried by said control member and projecting toward said series of discs, said driving pin adapted upon vertical movement toward the discs to enter the other of said sets of apertures and upon rotation of the control member to impart rotation to the discs, and means pivoting the driving pin to the control member and providing swinging move' ment thereof from its operating projecting position to an inoperative retracted position whereby the discs may overrun the pin and the control member;

7. in a game apparatus, a shaft, a series of discs carrying different indicia means on the peripheral portions thereof, means mounting said discs upon the shaft for independent rotation thereahout and for bodily movement axially therealong, a compressible coiled spring encircling the shaft on one side of said series of discs and exerting a yielding pressure upon the disc series to bodily move the same in one direction along the shaft, means operable when said series of discs is moved by the spring for normally looking said discs against rotation with certain of said indicia means thereon in alignment, a spin-- ner control member, means mounting said spin nor control member on the shaft on the side of the discs opposite to said spring and providing rotation and axial bodily movement of the mem' ber relative to the shaft, said spinner control member adapted upon axial movement toward the disc series to bodily shift the latter along the shaft against the resistance of the spring to a position releasing the discs from said locking means, said discs being provided with registrablo apertures, a pin carried by said control member and projecting toward the discs and adapted to extend through said apertures upon bodily move ment of the control member theretoward and further adapted to rotate the discs upon rotation of the control member, and means mounting said pin for swinging movement from said projecting position to an inoperative retracted position en-- tirely withdrawn out of said apertures whereby the discs may freely overrun the spinner member and the pin carried thereby.

8. A game apparatus comprising, in combination, a substantially closed casing having an upright post therein and provided with a radial slot in the top thereof exposing the interior to view, a series of discs of progressively diiferent diameters rotatably mounted on the post and having their peripheral margins exposed to view through said slot, said discs each carrying different indicia means in circularly spaced relation on the peripheral margins thereof which are successively exposable to view through the slot when the discs are rota-ted, said discs having two sets of apertures therethrough spaced unequal distances from the axis of rotation thereof and so arranged that the apertures of each set may be brought into registration with one another, a coiled spring encircling the post below the discs and yieldingly urging the same to a raised position in the casing, a stop pin carried by the casing in depending relation thereto and receivable through one of said sets of registrable apertures to stop the rotation of the discs, a control member mounted on said post above said discs and capable of rotation and vertical movement on said post, an operating pin carried by the control member in depending relation thereto and adapted to enter the other of said sets of registrable apertures in the discs, said control member adapted upon downward movement to project the operating pin through the set of apertures intended therefor and to depress the discs out of engagement with said stop pin, and said operating pin adapted upon rotation of the control member to impart rotation to said discs.

9. In a game apparatus, a casing having a Window opening therein, an upright post in the casing, a plurality of discs independently rotatably mounted on said post and capable of bodily axial movement therealong, said discs progressively Varying in diameter from one another and carrying different indicia means on their peripheral margins which are successively exposed to view through said window opening when the discs are rotated, a pair of springs mounted on said post on opposite sides of said discs, stop means for releasably locking the discs against rotation in one position of their bodily axial movement on the post, and a spinner member rotatably and axially movably mounted on said post and having means for engaging the discs for imparting rotation thereto, said spinner member adapted upon axial movement in one direction to act through one of said springs for bodily moving the discs to a position releasing the same from said stop means.

10. In a spinning game apparatus, an upright post, a plurality of discs independently rotatably supported on said post and capable of bodily axial movement therealong, said discs each provided with two sets of circularly spaced apart apertures arranged unequal radial distances from the axis thereof, each corresponding set of apertures being registrable with one another, different indicia means carried by each of said discs and radially aligning with one another when one of said sets of apertures is in radial alignment, spring means exerting a yielding pressure upon the discs and raising the discs as a groups to an elevated position on the post, a stationary pin adapted to enter said last mentioned set of apertures when the discs are so raised by said spring means and to stop the rotation of the discs, a spinner member rotatably and exially movably mounted upon said post above said discs and adapted upon downward movement on the post to depress the discs as a group out of engagement with said stationary stop pin, a driving pin depending from said spinner member and adapted upon downward movement of the member to enter the other of said registrable apertures and further adapted upon rotation of the member to impart rotation to the discs, and means pivoting the driving pin to the spinner member about an axis extending substantially radially of the post and providing swinging movement from a vertical operating position to a substantially horizontal non-operating position whereby the discs may freely overrun the driving pin after a rotary impetus has been imparted thereto.

CHARLES W. GUIMOND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 657,834 Ruttman Sept. 11, 1900 658,358 Ellis Sept. 25, 1900 716,631 Gallagher Dec. 23, 1902 1,617,831 Wolke Feb. 15, 1927 1,892,664 Eyles Jan. 3, 1933 

